Justify (horse) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Justify
Justify and his connections after the 2018 Preakness Stakes
Sire	Scat Daddy
Grandsire	Johannesburg
Dam	Stage Magic
Damsire	Ghostzapper
Sex	Stallion
Foaled	(2015-03-28) March 28, 2015 (age 10) Versailles, Kentucky, U.S.
Country	United States
Color	Chestnut
Breeder	John D. Gunther
Owner	WinStar Farm (majority owner), China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, Starlight Racing, Carcone Racing Stable
Trainer	Bob Baffert
Record	6: 6–0–0
Earnings	$3,198,000
Awards
Triple Crown wins: Kentucky Derby (2018) Preakness Stakes (2018) Belmont Stakes (2018) 13th American Triple Crown winner (2018) American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse (2018) American Horse of the Year (2018)
Honors
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame (2024)

Justify (born March 28, 2015) is a famous Thoroughbred racehorse who is now in the US Hall of Fame. He is best known for being the thirteenth horse to win the American Triple Crown.

Justify also made history as the first horse since Apollo in 1882 to win the Kentucky Derby without racing when he was two years old.

Justify first showed how good he was by winning his very first race on February 18, 2018. He then went on to win the three biggest races for young horses: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. This made him the 13th Triple Crown winner. He retired from racing undefeated just a few weeks after the Belmont Stakes. This makes him the only American Triple Crown winner who was never beaten in his entire career.

Justify's family tree includes many other Triple Crown winners like Secretariat, Count Fleet, War Admiral, Omaha, and Gallant Fox. He is also related to English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky.

About Justify

Justify is a chestnut colored horse. He has a large white stripe, called a blaze, on his forehead. He was born in Kentucky, USA. His breeder, John D. Gunther, won an award in 2018 for being an outstanding breeder. Justify's mother, Stage Magic, also won an award as the Kentucky Broodmare of the Year in 2018.

Justify's father was a horse named Scat Daddy. Scat Daddy was a very good racehorse and became a successful father to many winning horses. Sadly, Scat Daddy passed away when he was only eleven years old.

Justify was sold at an auction in 2016 for $500,000. He was bought by a group of owners including WinStar Farm and China Horse Club. David Hanley, who works for WinStar, said that Justify was special even as a young horse. He described him as "beautiful" and "very light on his feet."

Justify grew into a very big horse. He stood about 16.3 hands tall. He weighed around 1,268 to 1,380 pounds during his Triple Crown races. He was first trained by Rodolphe Brisset. Later, he was sent to famous trainer Bob Baffert in January 2018.

Justify's Racing Journey

Getting Ready for the Derby

Justify's first race was on February 18, 2018, at Santa Anita Park. He was three years old. He won this race easily by 9 and a half lengths. This impressive win made people notice him right away. His trainer, Bob Baffert, said it wasn't too late for Justify to qualify for the Kentucky Derby.

His next race was on March 11, where he won by 6 and a half lengths. Mike Smith, his jockey, was very impressed. He said Justify moved "like it was a stroll."

Even though Justify hadn't raced against the best horses yet, he was considered a top contender for the Kentucky Derby. He needed to earn points to qualify for the Derby. Baffert decided to keep Justify at Santa Anita for the Santa Anita Derby.

On April 7, Justify raced in the Santa Anita Derby against seven other horses. His main rival was Bolt d'Oro. Justify took the lead early and kept a good pace. He won the race by three lengths, even though he drifted a little bit in the final stretch.

A Special Test Result

On September 11, 2019, it was reported that a substance called scopolamine was found in Justify's system after he won the Santa Anita Derby. This substance can be found in a common plant called jimson weed, which can sometimes get into horse feed.

The amount found was higher than what is usually allowed. At the time, this could have led to Justify being disqualified from the Santa Anita Derby. If he had been disqualified, he wouldn't have had enough points to race in the Kentucky Derby. However, the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) did not announce the positive test result right away. They later decided to dismiss the case.

Dr. Rick Arthur, a medical director for the board, explained that their investigation suggested the substance came from contaminated feed. He noted that other horses also had similar results around the same time.

Bob Baffert said that he never intentionally gave Justify any scopolamine.

In December 2023, a judge ordered that Justify should be disqualified from the Santa Anita Derby. This order came from a lawsuit filed by the owner of Bolt d'Oro, the horse that finished second in that race. In March 2024, the CHRB agreed to a settlement and issued a new ruling to disqualify Justify. Justify's owners have appealed this decision.

Winning the Kentucky Derby

Winning the Santa Anita Derby made Justify a favorite for the Kentucky Derby. However, he faced a challenge: no horse had won the Kentucky Derby without racing as a two-year-old since 1882. This was known as the "Curse of Apollo."

The 2018 Kentucky Derby was held on May 5, 2018, on a very rainy day at Churchill Downs. The track was muddy. Justify started well and took a good position near the front. He ran just behind another horse, Promises Fulfilled, for most of the race. As they turned into the final stretch, Justify pulled ahead and won by 2 and a half lengths. Good Magic finished second.

After the race, Justify had a minor heel bruise. To protect his heel, he was given a special horseshoe before he started training again.

The Preakness Stakes Victory

Justify narrowly wins in a blanket finish at the 2018 Preakness

The weather for the 2018 Preakness Stakes on May 19 was even worse than the Derby. It had rained a lot, making the track very muddy. A thick fog also covered the track, making it hard to see.

Justify again started well and took the lead. Good Magic challenged him closely for most of the race. In the final part of the race, other horses started to catch up. But Justify fought hard and won by half a length. He was just ahead of Bravazo and Tenfold.

Trainer Bob Baffert said Justify had been pushed hard in the race. He was still very impressed with Justify's effort, saying it would prepare him for the next big race.

Conquering the Belmont Stakes

Bob Baffert had also trained American Pharoah, who won the Triple Crown in 2015. Baffert used a similar training plan for Justify. He noted that Justify was a strong and dominant horse.

The 2018 Belmont Stakes was held on June 9 on a clear track. A huge crowd of 90,000 people watched. Justify started from post position one, which meant he needed a good start to avoid getting stuck. He broke well and quickly took the lead. He set a steady pace and held off all challengers. Justify won the race by 1 and 3/4 lengths over Gronkowski. He finished the mile and a half race in 2 minutes and 28.18 seconds.

Justify wins the Belmont Stakes.

Bob Baffert was very happy after the race. He said, "It never gets old." Justify's win made him the thirteenth horse to win the American Triple Crown. He was also only the second horse to win the Triple Crown while remaining undefeated. Justify's owners earned a total of $2.94 million for winning all three Triple Crown races.

Injury and Retirement

After the Belmont Stakes, Justify was shown to crowds at Churchill Downs and Santa Anita. His trainer, Bob Baffert, kept him in light training to help him recover from the tough Triple Crown races. Baffert hoped to race Justify in the Breeders Cup Classic later that year.

However, in early July, Baffert noticed a slight swelling in Justify's left front ankle. The swelling went down but then came back. Because of this, Justify was officially retired from racing on July 25, 2018. This ended his chance to win the "Grand Slam" of racing.

Justify's Race Record

* means Justify was the favorite to win. ^◆Justify originally finished first. He was later disqualified due to a substance found in his system, which his owners are appealing.

Awards and Honors

In 2018, Justify was ranked as one of the best racehorses in the world. On January 24, 2019, he was named the American Horse of the Year. This is a very high honor in horse racing. He was also chosen as the best three-year-old male horse.

Justify's win in the Belmont Stakes was named the "NTRA Moment of the Year." This award celebrates amazing moments in horse racing.

In 2024, Justify was chosen to be part of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. This is a huge honor, and his official induction will happen on August 2, 2024.

Life as a Breeding Horse

After retiring from racing, Justify became a breeding horse, also known as a stud. On September 14, 2018, it was announced that he would live at Ashford Stud in Kentucky. His fee for breeding in 2019 was $150,000.

Justify's first baby horse, called a colt, was born on April 20, 2020. His name is Harlocap.

Because Justify's babies have been very successful in races, his breeding fee for 2024 was doubled to $200,000. For 2025, his fee will be $250,000.

Justify's Famous Babies

Justify has become a very successful father to many winning racehorses. Here are some of his notable children:

See Also

• List of racehorses
• List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses